Carrier carton for tub-like containers



Nov. 5, 1968 A. JORGENSEN CARRIER CARTON FOR TUB-LIKE CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1966 Nov. 5, 1968 A. JORGENSEN CARRIER CARTON FOR TUB-LIKE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 4, 1966 Nov. 5, 1968 A. JORGENSEN CARRIER CARTON FOR TUB-LIKE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 4, 1966 United States Patent 3,409,124 CARRIER CARTON FOR TUB-LIKE CONTAINERS Arne Jorgensen, Kastanievej 6, Korsor, Denmark Filed Jan. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 518,582 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Jan. 11, 1965,

1,188/65 8 Claims. (Cl. 20665) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improvement in carrier cartons for flanged tub-like containers in which the carton is a tubular, open-ended sleeve having L-shaped tabs at its corners defined by cuts and fold lines in the top and side walls of the sleeve and depressed out of the plane of the top of the tubular member to engage beneath the flanges on the containers, the sleeve further including T-shaped tabs between its ends similarly depressed below the plane of the top to engage beneath the flanges of containers in the carrier.

The invention relates to an open-ended tubular sleevelike carrier carton formed from paperboard or similar sheet material, and which can be used to package for storage or transit a number of flanged tub-like containers, e.g. such as are used for packaging dairy products or other paste-like materials. Containers of this kind are usually formed from thermoplastic sheet material by deep-drawing, and are closed by sealing a cover to a flange surrounding the container mouth.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, convenient and relatively inexpensive carrier for flanged tub-like containers, which can be supplied in a Hat condition and which can be readily engaged with one or several rows of such containers for the purpose of enclosing them.

According to the present invention there is provided an open-ended, tubular sleeve-like carrier carton formed from paperboard or similar sheet material for enclosing at least one horizontal row of flanged tub-like containers and, comprising a top wall panel, a bottom wall panel and a pair of opposed side Wall panels, the top Wall panel being cut to provide inwardly projecting tabs arranged to underlie the flanges of the containers and to engage the side walls of the containers edgewise so as to retain them in the carton.

Preferably the tabs are arranged as opposed pairs, with each tab foldable about a hinge line substantially coinciding with and parallel to one of the hinge lines along which the top wall panel is hinged to the side wall panels.

In order to accommodate the tabs close under the flanges of the containers, the cuts forming the tabs in the top wall panel may each extend a small distance into the adjacent side wall panel, the hinge lines of the tabs lying in the side wall panels. The tabs at the extreme ends of the tubular sleeve may border on the free edges of said sleeve.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tabs at the free ends of the tubular sleeve are substantially L-shaped, whereas intermediate tabs are substantially T-sha-ped, the L-shaped tabs each being hinged at the foot of the L, and the T-shaped tabs each being hinged at the head of the T, the distances between successive pairs of tabs being equal.

Should it be-desired to provide a carrier carton of the kind described and arranged for enclosing at least two superimposed rows of flanged tub-like containers, in each of the side wall panels at least one row of tabs may be formed, the row or rows of tabs in a side wall panel being identical with the row of tabs formed in the top wall panel and the hinge lines of the tabs in each row in the 3,409,124 Patented Nov. 5, 1968 side wall panels being parallel to the top wall panel, which hinge lines divide the height of the side wall panel into equal parts.

The invention also contemplates the provision of blanks from which the carrier cartons can be made.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood two embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a blank of cardboard or similar sheet material and from which an open-ended, tubular sleevelike carrier carton according to the invention can be set p;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a loaded carrier carton set up from the blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the loaded carrier carton of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 and shows a blank from which a second embodiment of a carrier carton according to the invention can be set up;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a loaded carrier carton set up from the blank of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of the loaded carrier carton of FIG. 5. Like reference numerals in the drawings indicate like or similar parts.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the blank is made of foldable cardboard or similar sheet material and com-prises a top wall panel 1 to which are hingedly attached at two of its opposed sides, by fold or score lines 2 and 3, side wall panels 4 and 5 respectively. A bottom wall panel 6 is hingedly attached to side wall panel 5 along a fold or score line 7. To side wall panel 4 a glue flap 8 is hingedly attached along a fold or score line 9. The bottom wall panel 6 and the glue flap 8 are arranged to overlap in the set-up condition of the blank, so that flap 8 may be glued to the bottom wall panel 6.

The top wall panel 1 is cut so as to provide at each of its four corners a tab 10 each of which is hinged about a fold or score line 11 which lines 11 are arranged in the side wall panels 4 and 5, close to and parallel with the fold or score lines 2 and 3 respectively. The distance between the fold line 11 and the fold line 3 at one side of the top wall panel 1, as well as the distance between the fold lines 11 and the fold lines 2 at the opposite side of the top wall panel 1, equals the thickness of the material used for the blank plus the thickness of the flanges of the containers intended to be enclosed by the carrier carton. This distance is clearly shown in FIG. 3 and is indicated by the reference character a.

Intermediate the tabs 10 along the fold tor score lines 2 and 3, further tabs 12 are cut from the material of the top wall panel 1, which tabs 12 have substantially the shape of a T. The tabs 12 along the fold lines 2 and 3 are arranged as opposed pairs, with each tab'foldable about a fold or score line 13 in alignment with the fold or score lines 11.

As is clearly illustrated in FIG. 1 the tabs 10 are each L-shaped and hinged at the foot 14 of the L to fold line 11, whereas the edge 15 of the leg 16 of each tab 10 coincides with the free edge 17 of the top wall panel 1. As is also clearly shown in FIG. 1 the tabs 12 are hinged at the head 18 of the T to score line 13.

In the set-up condition of the carton (FIGS. 2 and 3) the glue flap 8 is attached to the free margin of the bottom wall panel 6. The containers C are confined in vertical direction by top wall panel 1 and bottom wall panel 6. Tabs 10 and 12 project inwardly and make edgewise engagement with the side walls of the containers, beneath flanges 19, by means of their edges 20 and 21 respectively so as to retain the containers C in the carrier carton. It will be clear that the curvature of the cut lines 20 and 21 3 has to be adapted to the cross-section of the containers C to be enclosed."

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-6 is arranged for enclosing two superimposed rows of tub-shaped containers, each row comprising two containers. In this embodiment the blank (FIG. 4) used for forming the carrier carton also comprises a top wall panel 1, side wall panels 4', 5', a bottom wall panel 6 and a glue flap 8, which parts are hingedly interconnected along fold or score lines 2, 3, 7 and 9. Top wall panel 1 of FIG; 4 is identical with top wall panel 1 of FIG. 1 and comprises the L-shaped tabs 10 at the four corners of said panel and the intermediate T-shaped tabs 12, which tabs hinge on similar parallel lines as in FIG. 1.

The side wall panels 4' and '5' are twice the height of the side wall panels 4 and 5 of the embodiment of FIGS.

In order to confine the lowest row of containers C in horizontal direction the side wall panels 4 and 5' are each provided with a row of tabs 10, 12' formed by cutting from the material of the side walls panels. Each row 10, 12, 10 in panel 5 is identical with and has the same orientation as the row 10, 12, 10 arranged along folding line 3, whereas the row of tabs in side wall panel 4' is identical with the row 10, 12, 10 arranged along fold line 2. The lines through the fold lines 11 and 13' divide the height of the side wall panels 4, and 5', into equal parts.

It will be clear that in case the carrier carton is arranged for enclosing more than two superimposed rows of containers the lines through the fold lines 11' and 13 divide the height of the sidewall panels in as many equal parts as there are horizontal rows of containers.

It will also be clear that the invention is not limited to a carrier carton for horizontal rows of containers comprising only two containers per row. There may be several pairs of intermediate tabs 12, and an equal number of pairs of tabs 12' if superimposed horizontal rows of containers are involved.

I claim:

1. A carrier carton comprising a tubular sleeve having free open ends formed from flexible, folded paperboard or similar sheet material for enclosing at least one horizontal row of flanged tub-like containers and comprising a top wall panel, a bottom wall panel and a pair of opposed side wall panels, the top wall panel having cuts therein extending into the adjacent side wall panel for a distance at least equal to the thickness of the flange of said containers to provide tabs of which each is joined to said sleeve only along a hinge line lying in that side wall panel to be parallel to one of the fold lines by which said top wall panel is joined to said side wall panels, and said tabs being foldable along their hinge lines to form inwardly extending planar projections disposed parallel to said top wall panel and adapted to engage edgewise with the side walls of containers in said carton so as to provide a restraint for retaining such containers in said carton.

2. A carrier carton as claimed in claim 1, in which the tabs at the extreme ends of said tubular sleeve border on the free edges of said sleeve.

3. A carrier carton as claimed in claim 1, in which the tabs at the free ends of the tubular sleeve are substantially L-shaped, and comprising substantially T-shaped tabs between said L-shaped tabs, the L-sha-pedtabs each being hinged at the foot of the L, and the T- shaped tabs being hinged at the head of the T, the distances between successive pairs of tabs being equal.

4. A carrier carton as claimed in claim 1,in whicheach of the side wall panels comprises at least one row of tabs, said row of tabs in the side wall panel being identical with the row of tabs formed in the top wall panel and hingedly attached adjacent to the hinge line along which the side wall panel is hinged to the top wall panel, the hinge lines of the tabs in each row in the side wall panels being parallel to the top wall panel, which hinge lines divide the height of the side wall panel into equal parts.

5. A blank for an open-ended tubular sleeve-like carrier carton of flexible folding cardboard or similar sheet material, comprising a top :wall panel, two sidewall panels and a bottom wall panel hingedly attached to each other along parallel sides, a substantially L-shaped tab being formed in the top Wall panel at each of its four corners, each of which tabs is hinged at the foot of the L by a hinge line substantially coinciding with and parallel to a hinge line along which a side wall panel is hinged to the top wall panel, whereas an edge of the leg of the L is in register :with the free edge of the top wall panel.

6. A blank as claimed in claim 5, in which substantially T-shaped intermediate tabs, opposed to each other. in pairs, are formed in the top wall panel, the head of each T-shaped tab having a hinge line in alignment with the hinge lines of the L-shaped tabs, said tabs being spaced apart equal distances along the hinge lines.

7. A blank as claimed in claim 6, in which the cuts in the top wall panel forming the tabs extend a small distance into the adjacent side wall pane-l, the hinge lines of the tabs lying in the side wall panels.

8. A blank as claimed in claim 5, comprising at least one row of tabs in each of said side wall panels, said side wall tabs being parallel to and identical with the row of tabs of the top wall panel, and joined to said side walls along the hinge lines dividing the height of said panel into equal parts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,646,202 7/ 1953 Gibbons 229-40 2,798,603 7/1957 Grinspoon 206- 2,851,210 9/1958 Kramer 20665 X 2,986,272 5/1961 Kruse 206-65 3,032,185 5/1962 Ellis et a1. 20665 3,143,273 8/1964 Bunting 2294O X 3,157,347 11/1964 Higgs et al 206-65 X 3,166,190 1/1965 Conrades 20665 3,186,545 6/1965 Conrades 22940 X DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner. 

